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My Home Burned, I Lost Everything

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This is Bear. For 23 years he's been sailing the globe. Making friends and helping anyone and everyone along the way. Whether it's an unattended boat that floated into a dangerous situation or a motor in a dinghy that won't start on a windy day, without hesitation, Bear is the one pulling you out of a jam. "We gotta help each other..." he says. Being self-taught, there isn't much he hasn't come across.  I've heard tale after tale, that too often were hard to believe, if it weren't for his extensive collection of photographs. Beautiful water, stunning skies, sail boats turned from someone's junk into his next treasure. And that's what he was doing with the 37' Irwin. It was fully stocked with food, recently wood stained with his favorite Cabernet hue, and just before the survey, a new starter was being installed on the Yanmar. Hearing screams Bear poked his head out the boat to see who was in trouble only to realize it was him. The 37' Irwin was headed for the bridge, and fast. He dove into the dinghy and fired up the motor to pull the boat back to safety as he spotted the power lines over head, but, before he could react, the mast made contact and the boat immediately became a conductor of electricity, shooting arc flashes into the water, throughout the boat, blowing holes through the hull causing the 120 gallon diesel tank to explode and ignite the Irwin into a floating ball of fire and billowing smoke. Getting out with only his wallet and pocket knife in his shorts, Bear was able to cut the dinghy free and suffered only minor burns to his face. As the fire department extinguished the flames, Bear watched as his home, his trade tools, his phone and tablet with all the photos of his adventures, everything to his name, sank into the Alafia River. 
https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/divers-to-remove-sailboat-that-caught-fire-sank-in-alafia-river/

Organizer and beneficiary

Natalie Marsh
Organizer
Gibsonton, FL
Barry Mills
Beneficiary

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